What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the most affordable homes ($347k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (28%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Hardwick	Salisbury
People
Population	2,684Lowest	4,224Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.3±9.8Highest 16% above U.S.	44.2±9.9Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Hardwick and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salisbury and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	58.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±4.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,000±$22kLowest 7% below U.S.	$124,256±$26kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$346,700±$67kLowest 4% above U.S.	$763,700±$121kHighest 130% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,108±$119Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,846±$736Highest 31% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,125Highest 64% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±13.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.2%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2% U.S.: 65.2%	68.2% U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	8.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#163 of 282 in MA	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Quabbin	Salisbury School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.